The End and The Beginning
by nothingbetter2do
Summary: Several important things happen one Thursday night. First, one person arrives at the mansion, another returns. Second, a girl with a strange mutation finds out there is a place she could go to control it. Pyro/Rogue/Gambit Logan/OFC/OMC


A/N- The title is from Razia's Shadow, a musical by Forgive Durden, which I just finished listening to. It just seemed to fit… Review and tell me if I should continue this!

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John sighed and hefted the duffle bag over his shoulder. He looked up at the intimidating mansion ahead of him, trying to think of another excuse not to go in.

Nothing.

A faint rumbling made him turn around. The rumbling grew into the loud roar of a motorcycle. John wondered if it was Logan.

The bike skidded to a stop in front of him and the driver took off his helmet. John saw that it wasn't the Wolverine, but a handsome man wearing darkened sunglasses even though the sun was setting.

"Do y' live here?" he asked.

"Used to." John smirked.

"Heard this was a place fo' mutants." The man said, running a gloved hand through his brown hair. "Name's Gambit." He held out his hand.

"Pyro." He shook it firmly.

"Y' say y' used to live here?" He questioned with a thick Cajun accent.

"I did. I left. Wish I hadn't." John replied almost wistfully. There was something about this man that was bugging him.

"Come on, _homme_. Let's go in. It's gettin' cold out." Gambit headed to the door.

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The strange thing was that they arrived at the same time. Rouge and some of the other students were just sitting in the rec room watching TV when the doorbell rang.

When no one got up, Rogue frowned. "Anyone wanna get that?" When no one moved, her frown deepened into a scowl. "Ah guess that means Ah'll have ta do it myself." With a groan, she pulled herself up.

Opening the door, her eyes widened. In front of her was a very, _very _attractive man. Auburn chin-length scruffy hair, a smirk on his cocky face, clearly muscled body underneath dark clothes, covered by a trench coat. She blushed at her thoughts.

He wolf –whistled. "You are _très belle femme._"

She felt heat rush to her already red face. "Who are ya?"

"Oh! Gambit forgot his manners." He bent down to kiss her gloved hand, still covered, even after she had gotten the cure. Force of habit. "_Je'mappelle_ Remy LeBeau, or Gambit."

"Rogue." She pulled her hand away. "Ah suppose ya're here to get a place ta stay?"

"Oui. Remy got nowhere else to go." He paused. "Oh, but Remy's been stealing the spotlight. There's someone else too." He turned aside.

When Rogue saw who it was, her heart stopped.

"John."

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At the same time in Chicago, staring out the window at the rainy street, Nicki Walker shook her head and finished wiping the last table left. She got up and walked to the diner's kitchen, tossing the dirty rag into the sink.

"Doing anything tonight?" she felt breath on her ear and whirled around.

"Ian." She sighed and tried to pull away. "I told you, I'm not interested."

He leaned in closer. "Come on-" he was interrupted by a bell ringing, signaling that someone had come into the diner.

"We're closed!" Ian shouted.

"Nicki? You ready?" The man ignored Ian.

"Seth!" She ran out an embraced the man standing in front of the door, making sure Ian was watching them. "You changed your hair!" she mussed the newly cut blond hair.

He smiled , clearly seeing what she was doing. "I thought you'd like it." he said in a flirtatious voice. He was definitely enjoying Ian's jealous scowl.

"So where are we going?" Nicki flirted back.

"I don't know, I was thinking something like China or maybe Ireland."

"Ireland." She answered firmly.

"Okay." He grinned. "Let's go." They walked out, leaving an angry Ian, who seconds later, heard what sounded like a gunshot right outside of the diner. When he ran out, there was no one there.

Sitting under a tree, looking over the green, rolling, Irish countryside, Seth shifted slightly so Nicki was leaning against him. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"I can't stay here."

"In Ireland? Of course not." He replied jokingly.

She smiled sadly. "I mean in Chicago." She turned to look up at him. "They're getting stronger. The powers. I keep disappearing at random times. Sometimes it's back and forward in time. Sometimes it's across the country. And things keep catching on fire. I don't know what to do. People are noticing."

"That's one thing I was meaning to talk to you about. I found a place where they can help you. Somewhere in Westchester, New York. Xavier's or something."

"Well," she grinned. "I've always wanted to see the Big Apple."


End file.
